Azerbaijan carpet exhibition flies in to London

19-Nov-10by Annie Byrne

About 380 high-profile guests attended the opening of the Azerbaijan Flying Carpet to Fairytale exhibition this November.Visitors included Lord Mandelson and various ambassadors to the UK from countries such as Belarus, Turkey, Ukraine and the Republic of Korea. The exhibition is designed to strengthen relations between Azerbaijan and the UK and was organised by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Azerbaijani Embassy to Great Britain and Baku magazine."The purpose of this exhibition is to transport people into world of Azerbaijan. People often think that east is east, and west is west. But in Azerbaijan, east and west work together," said head of the Russian branch of Heydar Aliyev, Leyla Aliyeva. "The exchange of cultures and values continues to this day, and carpets are part of our national identity.""I am amazed by the skill and artistry of the carpet-weavers," said UK minister for communications, culture and creative industries, Ed Vaizey. "There are strong and developing connections between the UK and Azerbaijan. The minister for Europe, David Lidington, visited last month and gained firsthand experience of its tremendous economic growth."The Azerbaijan Flying Carpet to Fairytale exhibition is on until 21 November at One Marylebone, London.

As the UK has voted to leave the European Union with a 52 per cent majority result, EN has spoken to members of the exhibition and events industry, to gauge their initial reactions on the future of the UK and their businesses.